Huber needles for accessing implanted vascular access ports are well known. Such Huber needles are frequently used to inject fluids used in chemotherapy or for the infusion of antibiotics or other medication via an implanted vascular access port. Huber needles are constructed to minimize coring which occurs with a conventional needle when it is inserted through an elastomeric septum (such as the septum of an implanted vascular access port) and a portion of the elastomer is cut away. It is important to use non-coring needles with implanted vascular access ports, since coring could lead to leakage from the access port and the resulting requirement that the port be replaced.
Contemporary Huber needles typically comprise a right-angle needle which extends from a hub, and two generally coplanar wings which typically extend outwardly, in a horizontal plane, from the hub. The wings are used to grasp and manipulate the Huber needle, as is discussed in detail below. Huber needles typically comprise a stainless steel needle having a 90° bend formed therein, with a sharpened tip formed at the needle's distal end and the hub formed at the proximal end. Tubing extends from the proximal end of the needle to facilitate fluid infusion. The wings, which extend in opposite directions from the hub, incorporate living hinges which are formed where the wings attach to the hub. The living hinges facilitate upward bending of the wings, such that the wings may be placed in generally parallel, laminar juxtaposition with one another and thus used as a handle during the needle insertion process.
A Huber needle is typically utilized to access an implanted vascular access port by bending the outwardly extending, generally horizontal wings upwardly such that they are generally parallel and laminarly juxtaposed with respect to one another and then grasping the two upwardly bent wings between the thumb and forefinger of one hand. The pointed tip of the Huber needle is then inserted through the skin and into the implanted vascular access port.
After insertion, the wings of the Huber needle are permitted to regain their generally coplanar configuration so that they lie generally flat upon the skin of the patient. The wings are then taped to the patient's skin to thereby prevent undesirable movement of the Huber needle during the injection process. Fluid is then injected through the Huber needle into the implanted vascular access port. After the desired amount of fluid has been injected into the access port, the Huber needle is untaped and the needle is removed from the injection site.
A problem commonly associated with hypodermic needles, including Huber needles, is that of inadvertent needle sticks. Once the needle is removed from the injection site, the needle may accidentally come into contact with some portion of the care giver's body, resulting in an inadvertent needle stick. It should be appreciated that merely scratching the skin with the unprotected sharp tip of a used needle may be sufficient to cause the transmission of a deadly and/or debilitating infectious disease, such as Hepatitis C or AIDS. Therefore, it is important to provide a means for reducing inadvertent needle sticks.